Connecter for toy railroads



Feb 23 1932.' c. RMUS i CONNECTER FOR TOY RAIILROMJ'SV l Fileyd March5l. 1927 INVENTOR 6dr/ czm z5 {nu} ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 23, 1932UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE j CARL RAMUS, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA,ASSIGNOR TO THE LIONEL GORPORATIOILOF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION FNEW YORK CONNECTER FOR TOY RAILROADS Application filed March 31, 1927.SerialI` No. 179,769.

The present invention relates to connecters for toy railroads, and ismore particularly directed toward a connecter adapted to be secured tothe rails of toy railroad track for the purpose of providing electricalconnections for signals or other devices.

In the operation of toy railroads, it is frequently desirable to actuateone or more signals such as bells, lights, or gates, when the train ispassing through a predetermined sec- 'tion or portion of the toy tracklayout, and

the present invention contemplates the provision of a connecter whichmay he attached anywhere along the track :tor these and other purposes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a connecter which maybe clamped onto a section of toy railroad track in any desired locationand which will provide one or more 2G contacts normally insulated fromthe wheel bearing rails of the toy railroad track layout and so placedthat the flange on the car wheel is adapted to ground a circuitincluding a connected signal or other device thereby bringing about theactuation of the signal. The connecter for the present purpose is onewhich may be employed with three rail toy railroad track having thetrack rails insulated from one another, or not, as desired.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustration, two of themany possible embodiments in which the present invention may take form,it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the inventionrather than limiting the same.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a section of toy railroad track to which oneform of connecter has been applied;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; 4rFigure 4; is a view similar to Figure 1 show- "g ing a modiiied form ofconstruction;

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5--5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a wiring diagram. A portion of a conventional section of toyelectric railroad track is indicated in the drawings. The wheel bearingrails u1() and 11 and the insulated, third or power-supply rail 12 arecarried on cross ties 13 and 141 in the ordinary manner.

In the form of connecter shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, all the parts ofthe connecter are carried from an insulating plate 15. As shown, twowireireceiving terminals, 16 and 17, are connected by straps 18 and 19with hooks 2O and 21 which are cooperative with the flange of the thirdor power rail. These straps pass under the track rail 11 and areinsulated from it by insulating strips 22. A fixed metallic plate 23mounted on the in sulating plate 15 carries a pivoted locking member 24.The plate 23 and locking member 24 are adapted to cooperate with theflange on the wheel bearing member 11 and when the parts are in theposition indicated in Figures 1 and 2, the connecter will be locked inplace on the rails between the cross ties.

The insulating strips 22 support a spring contact 25 which bridgesacross the twostrips and this contact extends upwardly and inwardly andinwardly adjacent the tread of the wheel bearing rail 11. It is, asshown in Figure 2', spaced a slight distance below the tread of the railand is electrically disconnected from the same. A convenient method ofmounting the spring member 25 on the insulating support is to userivets, suoli as indicated at 26, which fasten the spring member 25 tothe insulating members 22. The strips 18 and 19 are provided with holessufficiently large to clear the heads of the rivets. The spring member25 is connected by a strap 27 with a wire receiving terminal 28 suitablycarried on the insulating support 15.`

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, allthe parts are carried on an insulating plate 30. This plate is adaptedto extend underneath the central rail and one of the track rails andcarries hooks 31 and 32 cooperative with the central rail and a pivotedcatch 33 cooperative with the track rail. The hooks 31 and 32 areconnected b-y astrap 34 with a Wire receiving terminal 35. The connecteralso carries a plurality of Wire receiving terminals 36 and 36 which areconnected by straps 37 to spring fingers 38 mounted on the upper surfaceof t-he insulating plate 30. These spring fingers eX- tend up adjacentthe tread of the rail 11 but do not contact with this rail.

Figure 6 illustrates a wiring diagram showing the use of a connectersuch as shown in Figures 4 and 5, for operating signals. The centralwire receiving terminal connected with the third rail is connected by aWireV 40 with a point 41 such as a terminal in a signal tower havinglamps L1 and L2. These lamps are connected to this common oint and arealso connected by wires 43 an 44 with the wire receiving terminals 36and 36. When a train passes along the track to which the connecter,Vwired up as indicated, has been attached, the flanges on the car WheelsWill engage the contacts 36 and 36 thereby grounding the circuit of asignal connected to the particular contact and causing the signal whichmay be a lamp, crossing gate, bell, or other device, to be functioned.Where a grounding contact such as the contact strip 25 of Figure 1, isused, the signal circuit will be kept closed during the time that theWheels are passing over the strip. When, however, a number of contactsare used such as indicated in Figure 4, the circuit will be closed foran instant as each wheel passes by the contact and one willthen obtain aflashing light from each lamp connected to the circuit.

Either of the presentiorms of connecter may be readily attached to thetrack lay-out at any desired point. In this manner the train may readilyconnect the signals, crossingegates, bells, lights, or other devices tohave them actuated as the train passes by a predetermined place in thetrack. The device may be used in track in which the ad]- acent wheelbearing rail or the opposite Wheel bearing rail are insulated, as theground will then be made through the running gear of the train. v

It is obvious that the invention may be embodied in many forms andconstructions, and I wish it to be understood that the par-V ticularforms shown are but a few of the many forms. Various modifications andchanges being possible, I do not limit myself n any way with respectthereto.

What is claimed is: l

In a toy railroad, a section of track having track rails and aninsulated central rail, a plurality of signal devices, and a detachableconnecter electrically connected with the signal devices, said connecterhaving means for detachably supporting it from the central rail and oneof the trackvrails and at the same time establishing a connection fromthe central rail to the signal devices, and a plurality of contacts eachconnected with one of the signal devices and carried by the connecteradjacent the track rail in a position to engage the flange of a carwheel.

Signed at Evansville,.in the count of Vanderburg and State of Indiana,this 26 day of March, 1927.

, CARL RAMUS.

